Join UC ANR for virtual Hispanic Heritage Month events

The UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Latinx and Friends employee resource group invites all UC employees to join them for their 2025 Hispanic Heritage Month webinar series: A Celebration of Our Dignity, Our Legacy, Our Voice / We Belong. We Build. We Rise.

Hispanic Heritage Month — which takes place annually from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 — is a recognition of the Latinx community’s resilience, contributions and ongoing efforts to create a more inclusive future. These conversations invite reflection, learning and connection across cultures and disciplines.

Mark your calendar and register here to join us!

All events take place via Zoom on Wednesdays, from noon to 1 p.m. (PT), from Sept. 17 through Oct. 25, 2025. See below for each event’s featured guest/s.

Sept. 17: Latinas in Agriculture

Ofelia Lichtenheld – Agave producer and member of California’s Women Agave Growers Collective
Ofelia Lichtenheld is a Latina farmer who has carved out a space in the male-dominated world of agriculture. She grows olives, fruit trees and agave, blending tradition with innovation to create new opportunities for women producers. As a founding member of California’s Women Agave Growers Collective, she is helping to build a legacy rooted in sustainability and community leadership.

Claudia Quezada – Environmental Justice Coordinator, Líderes Campesinas
Claudia Quezada is an advocate with Líderes Campesinas, one of California’s most influential grassroots organizations supporting farmworker women. She brings years of experience in environmental justice and community organizing, working directly with Latinas to provide pathways into farming, as well as programs for advocacy, health and safety. Her work amplifies the voices of women who often remain invisible in agricultural spaces.

*This webinar will be conducted in Spanish and simultaneously interpreted in English.

Sept. 24: Legacy, Science and Deportation

Adriana Mejía Briscoe, Ph.D. – Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UC Irvine
Dr. Adriana Mejía Briscoe is a world-renowned evolutionary biologist whose research on butterfly genetics and vision has advanced the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, she bridges scientific excellence with cultural identity, showing how personal history can deepen our understanding of belonging and legacy.

While tracing her ancestry, Dr. Adriana Mejía Briscoe uncovered a century-old corrido written by her great-great-grandfather about the mass deportations of Mexicans in the 1930s. The discovery connected her personal story to a larger narrative of resilience and displacement in Mexican American history.

*This webinar will be conducted in Spanish and simultaneously interpreted in English.

Oct. 1: Deportations – Then and Now

Isidro Ortiz, Ph.D. – Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies, San Diego State University
Dr. Isidro Ortiz is a leading scholar on Latino politics, education and public policy. Over his career, he has analyzed the historical and contemporary impact of deportation policies on Latino communities, offering critical insight into how these forces shape identity, opportunity and family life. His work has informed both academic research and civic engagement, making him a trusted voice in the ongoing conversation about immigration, equity and representation.

Oct. 8: Should Latino Farmworkers Be at the Center of UC ANR’s Work?

Katherine Jarvis-Shean, Ph.D. – Orchard Systems Advisor, UC ANR
As there are more than 880,000 farmworkers in California and just 130,000 agricultural producers, Dr. Jarvis-Shean challenges us to reconsider UC ANR’s definition of “clients.” As a Cooperative Extension orchard systems advisor, she provides practical, science-based solutions to growers while also questioning how agricultural research can better serve the labor force that sustains California’s farms. Katherine’s leadership in outreach and applied research underscores the need to place farmworkers at the center of the conversation about agriculture’s future.

Oct. 15: Celebrating Our Own – UC ANR Hispanic of the Year 2025: Ana Pastrana

Ana Pastrana, Ph.D. – UC ANR Plant Pathology Advisor
Dr. Pastrana, UC ANR’s plant pathology advisor for Southern California, has dedicated her career to helping growers prevent and manage crop diseases, strengthening harvests and community resilience. UC ANR proudly honors her as the 2025 Hispanic of the Year for her outstanding contributions to California agriculture and the communities she serves.

Closing Remarks: Glenda Humiston, Ph.D. – Vice President, UC ANR
Following the tribute, UC ANR Vice President Dr. Glenda Humiston will share closing reflections on the importance of equity, inclusion and innovation in serving California’s diverse communities — reaffirming UC ANR’s commitment to advancing opportunity for all.

About the moderator

Ricardo Vela is an Emmy-winning journalist and Manager of News and Information Outreach in Spanish at UC ANR. With over 37 years of experience in print, radio and television — including work with Univision and CNN — Ricardo has dedicated his career to telling the stories of Latino and other underserved communities in California and beyond. For more information about these events, contact Ricardo at rvela@ucanr.edu or 951-660-9887.